Today, June 7, we live in between the recognition of two great historical invasions. Yesterday, June 6, was the 70th anniversary of the Normandy invasion in France. Tomorrow, June 8, is the Day of Pentecost and the invasion of the Holy Spirit, when God declared His presence in the lives of all people.

Today, may we pause and reflect on these two historical events and their impact on human life.

D-Day: The day 160,000 allied troops landed on the French coastline that began an invasion into Europe, and ultimately the defeat of Nazi Germany. More than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft comprised a force of humanity of what Tom Brokaw called “The Greatest Generation.” It was an invasion that changed the course of history and, by the end of the day, the allies had gained a foothold on Europe with the tremendous expense of over 9,000 serviceman killed or wounded.

May our memory of what occurred on this day in a distant land bring a sense of pride to us at home as Americans. May we acquire a sense of humility as we recount the loss of brave warriors. And may this day prompt a sense of thankfulness for what others did on this day that preserved our freedom.

Pentecost: the day God invaded the human heart and proclaimed His presence. Tomorrow is the birthday of the Christian Church in which His spirit descended on every person and invaded our very being.

The word spirit is derived from the Latin word “spirare,” which means to breathe. It is included in the word “respiration,” meaning continuous breathing, and in the word “expiration” which means our last breath. It also has the same word derivation that forms the word “Spirit” in our daily use of the word “inspiration.” Today is the day that “holy breath” came into the lives of the Apostles and the people of His Church. It was that “breath of air” that the Master sought to give to His disciples before He departed this earth as recorded in John 20:22, “He breathed on them and said to them ‘receive the Holy Spirit.’”

It is not uncommon to meet people who have a shortness of breath — not literally, but spiritually. Nothing is sacred to so many people — not marriage, not children, not friendships, and most of all, not ourselves. That spark of divinity declared on Pentecost, that breath that assures one of that invasion of God’s identity in the human spirit is a fact that so many ignore. Isaiah writes: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me.”

Page 2 of 2 - It is not uncommon to hear people comment that they are suffocating. It is not that they lack air, but they lack what Paul writes in Galatians: “The fruit of the spirit” which he identifies as “love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.”

We can enumerate many crises that we experience every day. We see them in government when political parties can’t agree. We see them in education when schools fail to meet certain standards. We see them in churches when agendas are personal and not spiritual. We see them in our daily walks of life when people’s motives are not for the greater good. In psychology we have courses in crisis management.

I suggest that all crises result from a Crisis For Reverence. What we appreciate, appreciates us. What we depreciate, depreciates us. Dull, lifeless and boring people are those for whom nothing is sacred. They are desolate people for irreverence has crushed their souls.

Remember the O.J. Simpson case a few years ago when Chris Darden, the prosecutor, agitated the trial judge, Lance Ito, and the judge said, “This is the third time I have warned you, Mr. Darden, and before I impose a court-ordered sanction on you, I suggest you take a deep breath.” When troubled, anxious or confused, to take a deep breath is wonderful advice, as that spirit or composure is available to everyone for what Pentecost comes to signify in our lives.

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson was a world hero when he returned from France after World War I with the Covenant of the League of Nations. Everywhere Wilson went, he was greeted as the leader of a nation that wanted to make the world safer for democracy.

However, he encountered a Senate opposed to the covenant he supported, but he endured with his hope for world peace by saying, “The winds of war must give way to the gentle breath of peace. It was time to breathe in the fresh spirit of peace, but people are not willing to take that deep breath.”

So my friends, be it our 70-year memory of D-Day or the observance of Pentecost, pause for a few moments this weekend and capture something of the spirit that provides a breath of God’s reassuring presence. Whether a soldier in Normandy or a citizen of our community, remember that “as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

The Rev. Robert P. Lawrence is pastor emeritus of First Congregational Church, Fall River.